Does Dr. Scholl’s FootMapping Really Work?

Does Dr. Scholl’s FootMapping Really Work?

3.4 (67.79%) 326 vote[s]

Dr. Scholl’s FootMapping is a kiosk that is located in stores and is supposed to tell you which parts of your feet take the most abuse and then recommend the proper inserts based on your unique make-up. This would seem like a better way than just buying a one-size-fits-all type of orthodic, but only if the machine actually works at identifying the right areas that need help. So let’s see if it really works.

Overview
People have a lot of trouble with their feet, and there are plenty of products and companies that try to alleviate the pain and pressure felt by those suffering from such conditions as bone spurs, heel pain, or just general aches in the feet. This is especially true if your job requires you to be on your feet for prolonged periods of time throughout the day. This can make even simple tasks seem like a huge burden.

The Claim
The Dr. Scholl’s FootMapping approach is attempting to give a customized insert recommendation after you stand on it for the specified time. While you stand on it, it is measuring where the weight distribution is in regards to your feet, and identifying which foot, as well as which parts of your feet, take the most abused. From there they can recommend a specific insert so that you can start providing extra support in areas that need it the most. This sort of analytic approach to correcting foot problems is not something that is new, but they are the first company that has made it available in-store, so you don’t have to visit a specialist.

The Hype
The thing about Dr. Scholl’s is that they are not shy about their products, and each one has a marketing campaign behind it so that they can build awareness about the product. The promotional ads for their custom fit line of products definitely got its share of TV time, and is still featured prominently at their official site. This goes to show that they are putting a lot of stock in this machine, and banking on it working and people recommending it to their friends.

The Cost
It doesn’t cost anything to use the Dr. Scholl’s FootMapping machine and get a diagnosis. Once you are recommended specific insert, or inserts, for your needs the actual products range in price from $30 to $50, which is more expensive than their other options. Compared to visiting an orthopedic doctors podiatrist and getting custom built orthotics, this is definitely a more economical way to go. The only question is whether or not it will provide the same sort of relief that you get from a professional, and whether it’s far and away a better choice than just buying off the rack for less.

The Commitment
It only takes a few minutes to get your recommendation, so you don’t really have to commit too much. Once you receive your evaluation and they tell you which ones you should buy, it’s simply a matter of putting them into your shoes and experiencing the difference. You have full control over which shoes you put them in, and you can make the determination whether you want to use them only for sports, or only in your work shoes, or you can put them in all of your shoes so you can have the same level of comfort no matter what you’re doing.

Evaluation
Dr. Scholl’s has been around for years and years now and they’ve developed a loyal following of customers. They don’t simply rest on their laurels and are constantly improving the different brands that they offer. As technology improves, they’ve come out with things like gel insoles, and also a more professional grade of insoles and inserts. The mapping technology and the custom fit products they are doing these days represents another step forward in the evolution footwear, and foot orthotics.

Compared to just finding a general, one-size-fits-all, insert, this system does a good job of recommendation of which is have, you don’t need. The technology behind the mapping software is nothing groundbreaking, but does a good job of seeing where you put the most pressure while you’re standing and also while you’re walking. It’s almost just as important that they let you know what you don’t need, because using the wrong insert will only exacerbate the problem, and potentially cause more pain.

Final Dr. Scholl’s FootMapping Review

We’re giving the Dr. Scholl’s FootMapping system a Thumbs Up review, because it does a good job of splitting the difference between going to a professional, and buying an insert off the rack without any knowledge of what you actually need. The custom fit inserts are more expensive than their traditional offerings, so there’s got to be some value added. Since most users have expressed that it does in fact do a good job of matching them up with the proper fitting, we’re confident that it’s worth the extra expenditure.

Our Recommendation
If money isn’t an object, you might want to schedule an appointment with your podiatrist and have them evaluate your feet to find out the best way to treat them. However, if you’re looking for a quicker, cheaper way to go, this is one of your better options. You don’t have to take a lot of time out of your day, it doesn’t cost anything extra to use it, and the recommendations it gives are better than just guessing and choosing something that might not work, or might make things worse.

What do you think? Do Dr. Scholl’s FootMapping work or not?

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I’ve tried several types and brands of shoe inserts over the years with mixed results, but I never had one that seemed to really make a big difference. The reason was most likely because there’s no one size fits all solution to foot pain and obviously that’s because all our feet are shaped differently from individual to individual. This looks like an expensive approach to solving that problem, but the thing is it’ll probably work much better for you. I like the more personalized approach and I’m definitely giving it a try.

The Dr. Scholl’s Foot Mapping does work. My husband has been going to a foot doctor forever. They have the same kind of machine in the office. The one the doctor does cost us $200.00 and that is with our insurance. My husbands was wearing out and decided to try the Dr. Scholl’s Foot Mapping machine at Walmart and it worked just as good as the $200.00 from the doctor, but the cost was only $50.00. Try it if you have problems with your feet because it does work and it is way worth the cost.

I used the Dr. Scholl’s kiosk insoles, and I’m very happy with them. I have two pairs so I can alternate days worn. I wear them to work and rather extensive hiking. I am flatfooted and have had plantar fasciitis in the past. I recommend them as a high grade insole short of customs.

I used to suffer from several conditions including plantar fasciitis. The kiosk insoles were great for a while but the relief did not last long. Like the article mentioned, I actually had to end up going to a podiatrist who gave me some custom insoles. Those helped for a while but I started developing new issues with my feet. Eventually, had surgery for those issues and the plantar fasciitis. Could not be happier.

My husband has had foot orthotics from a podiatrist over the years and it was expensive. At that time we did have benefits but as soon as we turned 65 it was too expensive to carry it on.
We live near Hamilton, Ontario Canada ad l am trying to see if there are any of these machines anywhere in Canada . My husband really wants to try one out and then obtain orthotics through that. Can you let me now where there would be a machine that we could try.

A very important concept missing from this review is that a 2 dimensional pressure scan can not be extrapolated into a 3 dimensional product. A pressure sensor simply sees pressure, it can not tell if regions of your feet are 1mm off the sensor or 2 cm off the sensor. So it does not know your arch height or foot alignment. It also can’t tell you anything about possible reasons for your discomfort. So if you feel the need to try a non-custom device like this, save even more money and time by purchasing a regular off the shelf arch support by this company or another.
From the “Our Recommendations” section “the recommendations it gives are better than just guessing and choosing something that might not work, or might make things worse”. There is no study that actually shows that your guess is any worse than the computers. It gets your size and weight and then comes up with a product. You may find this other review interesting.http://evandavis.org/2013/03/dr-sholls-custom-orthotics-are-a-scam/

The doctors scholls mapping machine actually does work in 3d. You aren’t stepping onto a hard plate or scale it is a soft surface that senses how deep each area of your foot entendres down into the surface.
Have tried the machine just to see their opinion. Didn’t want to spend $50 though

I got several different results as well. I have high arches and it told me I had flat or standard so I made sure I picked from the standard results. Also sometimes it picked the shortest one and sometimes the second shortest. I figure as a women without small feet I should pick the second shortest over the shortest. Still on day one but lying them so far and I’ve had custom ones made twice in the past.

I too have tried the Dr. Scholls foot mapping kiosk… Just 30 minutes ago, I stood on one, four different times, and within about a 10 minute period, I got three different readings. Decided not to purchase. $50 is still too much to “guess” which result might be right. 😕

This machine was a joke. I have extremely high arches, and when I say extremely high I mean it. This gimmick of a machine told me I have flat feet. Lol I’ve had a podiatrist tell me I have the highest arches he’s ever seen.

Hey Tanya, I have extremely high arches as well, however i do not have benefits to cover a podiatrist right now. Do you have any recommendations of insoles that you have found to help with your foot pain?
Thanks!
Sasha

Tried the machine 3x with same reading today….start inserts tomorrow so I will get back to you…Achilles tendinitis an plantar as well….have taped an stretched in the past an it worked….so I’m gonna try them…if no luck then to the doc I go.

The most logical recommendation from Jacque, try it 3 times and compare the results. If you want to do overkill, try it at 2 machines.

I have been using Dr. Scholl’s inserts (based on their machine) for years, because they work great for me. I immediately felt the support and noticed that I was walking differently, most likely healthier/better. On long walks (yes, I do walk 2 miles one way to work) I do not get soreness in my legs as compared without inlets.

You have to be on the hunt for those inlets as they can be quite expensive. Right now they have a $10 off coupon on their website. So the purchase price would come down some $9.50. Yes, not $10, because you have to mail it, which will cost postage.

Note: Rite-Aid sells mine (CF430) for $40 right now, usually they are $50.

Doesnt work for me. Simple reasons. Doesnt know how high your arches are, and doesnt know the shape, or the arches in your shoe. In another words, there is one measurement the machine knows nothing about. Is this measurement considering that your boot/shoe is flat, or actually have an arch support in it? It’s guessing based on generalizations. For 49$. Guaranteed. And for that 49$ you get half of a sole.

I have pretty high arches, and in the two attempts with the machine I got “standard ” and “low arch”. That said, I do touch the ground with my archs despite how tall they are. A cheap and simple height and width measurement could go a long way in eliminating outlyer error.

I had been seeing a podiatrist for 6 months for my plantar faciitis. After numerous shots, special exercises, nightly messages, soakings, night splints, expensive inserts and special shoes I was no better off than when I started seeing her. When she said the next step was $400 custom orthotics or a cast, I decided enough was enough.

Thanks to my husband’s gentle persuasion I decided to try the Dr. Scholl’s Custom Fit Orthotics. For the first time in 6 months I got relief. My plantar faciitis began improving within a week. After a month, I was as close to pain free as I believe I will ever get with plantar faciitis. I have a pair of the Dr. Scholls orthotics in my slippers and one in my sneakers. I don’t walk a step without them. They changed my life!

My experience was amazing! I had immediate relief and use Dr Scholl orthotic inserts everyday. I am in restaurant management at a large university and spend most of my day on my feet. A couple weeks ago I had a day where I experienced quite a bit of pain only to discover I had forgotten to switch out the inserts and put them in the shoes I was wearing that day!

I understand that the Dr Scholl mapping technology cannot measure arch height, so I may have just gotten lucky. I’ve been using them for two months now and no longer experience foot pain. Compared to the almost intolerable pain I was experiencing, I was happy to spend the $50!

I don’t …in fact I use a cushion my wife had in her shoe then put the Schools 430 on top of it. Doc said last week I have Planter Pain in the Assisitis . Soooo…he told me to order a foot splint from Amazon…my choice on the brand . Also 2 Aleve (I use generic) 2x per day. So I also bought new shoes today. I dropped in to Walmart ,Hooksett NH and re-measured my feet. Now @ 230. So does the change mean anything ? That is why I came here to read others opinions. I wear the foot splint at night watching TV. I have worn it to bed but it is a bit awkward under the sheets. All toll I think my feet ( mainly the right foot ) are improving. But like a lot of things it is not going to be any one thing that corrects the problem.

I had the same question. Tried just putting these on top of current stuff…not comfortable. Took out ordinal inserts and just used the new ones…love it.

Found instructions online from dr schools and they say to remove the shoes original insert.

I’ve had serious heel pain for a few years. Lately it’s been a bit better due to a new pair of shoes with a great cushion under the heels…an air chamber built into the soles…Nike.

These inserts though are fantastic so far. Can definitely feel the weight has been taken off my heels and shifted slightly forward. It’s now spread between the front of the heel and the arch. Shoes feel fantastic.

Feet are still slightly sore but have only been using for a few days now. I’m very optimistic that the pain will finally go away for good.

Other reviews have people complaining that they got different readings from the machine. I took 3 readings from the machine I used and got the same recommendation each time. I’m guessing some machines might not be in the best shape.

Overall, I could not be happier. Years of severe pain (at times nearly crippling) seems to be about over.

I was having foot pain for about seven years I went to a foot doctor and she made custom insoles which cost 500 dollars never helped one bit which I thought was terrible so last week while at Costco I decided to try the foot mapping machine the machine recommended 440 for my feet I purchased them and boy what a difference at the end of the day I had no tingling in my feet I can say that the foot mapper really works and is a lot cheaper than 500 dollars thanks doctor scholls

I’ve had a problem with my feet hurting when I walk most of my adult life. 2 days ago I went to Walmart and did that dr shouls foot machine thing and it gave me custom orthotics for my shoes. I walked all day around the amusement park and could walk another 10 hours if I need to these things are awesome if you have any foot pain at all.

I am halfway through a 12-week recovery from a tendon sprain. I’m not wearing a cast or boot in order to be able to use a pool for exercise. My ortho said my goal will be to eventually wear a firm/rigid arch support orthotic, but during this healing period, due to the pain, I may need to use less rigid support. I tried the inexpensive supports and they didn’t help. So I tried the kiosk analysis and the vivid pressure zones shown on the screen certainly matched my foot pain. So I bought these and went online and submitted the online $10 rebate request. They feel much better than the inexpensive ones. Each day they feel more helpful. They are not as firm/rigid as the ones I will eventually use, but they are very helpful right now. They are providing support and cushioning in places that are different than the less expensive ones I was guessing at, so the analysis seems accurate. I used the kiosk on a day when my feet really hurt. The surface covering is much more comfortable on these also. I recommend them. I noticed that online Dr Scholls now offers a 3D analysis as an alternative to the kiosk. I already knew (from my ortho) the structural characteristics of my feet and wear the shoes for my particular feet and gait. What I needed and got was some additional comfortable support.

I tried Yorkie us it says I’m flat footed but my orthopedic doctor says I need specially fitted Prosthetics because my Arch is so high that many shoes won’t fit at all intended it so bad that without them it makes me flat-footed so your product and your machines are useless

I went to the kiosk at Shoppers Home Care at Lawrence and McCowan in Scarborough and used the foot mapping system. I thought it read CF 120. I had other purchasers and I could not really remember whether it was CF 120 or 110. Today I went there and used the machine and it gave me CF 110.
The package was not opened and they would not exchange. Is there a bi difference between these two,if not, I will use the CF 120, otherwise I may need an exchange. Incidentally about a year ago the machine revealed CF 220 and I am using them which seems ok. Now I am really confused! Should I try the machine again. What is your suggestion?
Thanks.
Godwin